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Volunteer – Trail Projects

TRAIL MAINTENANCE
Our stewardship mission includes a commitment to help maintain our wilderness trails. With picks, shovels, saws and rock bars our volunteer trail crews repair damage, construct drainage improvements, install signage and remove illegal campsites. FENW is the only volunteer group doing this much-needed work exclusively in our wilderness areas. All of our projects are done on weekends during the summer hiking season.
Coordinating with the Forest Service, FENW runs two types of trail maintenance project: day-long and pack-in projects.Day Projects are generally conducted on a Saturday. NO REGISTRATION is needed – just show up. We gather at the Dillon Ranger District Office in Silverthorne at 8 AM to organize and carpool to the trailhead. Tools and safety equipment are provided. Volunteers bring their own lunch, plenty of water and any other gear needed for a day on the trail. We generally work until mid-afternoon and conclude the day with tailgate refreshments provided by FENW.Pack-in Projects. REGISTRATION is necessary (contact Kate Demorest). For these projects we hike in to a campsite on Friday; do our trail work on Saturday and hike back out on Sunday. This format enables us to work much deeper in the wilderness than a day project would allow. All of our tools, heavier camping gear and common refreshments are packed in to the campsite on horseback. Volunteers supply their own camping gear and food. FENW supplies common snacks and liquid refreshments.

Wilderness regulations limit our volunteer work parties to groups no larger than 15 people. For day projects, we can handle more people by splitting up into smaller groups. This is not possible for our pack-in projects, so reservations are required to participate in pack-in projects.

2018 Trail Projects

Our Trail Boss, Kate Demorest, has announced plans for an exciting 2018 season. Dust off them boots, sharpen your pulaski (actually, they are provided for you), and get ready for some fun on the trail - watch for updates as plans are finalized.

Erasing illegal campfire rings

Invasive Weed Eradication

In 2007, FENW played a key role in initiating a campaign to eradicate invasive, noxious weeds in the Wilderness. We raised more than $70,000 to fund the project. In 2015, it was turned over to Summit County and a private HOA. Read about the project - CLICK HERE